Iím thinking about working in Italy in the near future and would really appreciate any advice you can give.

Well first hereís a little bit of info about myself, Iím 23 years old, Iím from the UK, I have BA, i to i tefl and I have 2 years teaching experience in South Korea.

I have quite a few questions so Iíll be blunt and just list them:

Whatís the easiest way to find a job in Italy?
Whatís the usual length of a contract?
When would be the best time to find a job?
I havenít got a specific location I would like to go to so any suggestions?
Whatís the usual salary and standard of living?
I only have a basic knowledge of Italian (but am willing to learn), is this a problem?
How have you found the lifestyle and working conditions ?

Whatís the easiest way to find a job in Italy?
Turn up, produce a decently-written CV, lots of enthusiasm, willingness to be flexible and learn the ropes - that sort of thing.

Whatís the usual length of a contract?
If you get a contract at all, it would probably be a "project contract" running maybe from September to June. No sick pay, holiday pay or pension contributions.

When would be the best time to find a job?
Early September.

I havenít got a specific location I would like to go to so any suggestions?
Depends if you want city, large / small town, north / south... More work in the cities, but also more competition for jobs. A 1-1 TEFL isn't great, though you can talk up what experience you have and show enthusiasm for learning the ropes.

Whatís the usual salary and standard of living?
Depends where you are, what your lifestyle is like. Average Italian wage is Ä1000 per month after tax. You'll need around this to pay rent, buy food, go out, etc. In larger cities you'll have a much better social life and will get to meet more people. South friendlier than the north, and not much beats Rome - in my totally biased opinion.

I only have a basic knowledge of Italian (but am willing to learn), is this a problem?
No. Willing to learn is good and will make you lots of friends!

How have you found the lifestyle and working conditions ?
I've been here years and leaving Italy permanently would break my heart. But I work freelance, have other things on the go, and so don't need to work for language school wages. If you're eking out an existence and living in a miserable flat share in some gritty town, then you'll have a less pleasant lifestyle.

Be open to possibilities, get out and meet people, appreciate the food, hang out at the beach during the summer - this is a pretty good lifestyle in my opinion!

Just one thing.. on a contratto progetto you do get pension contributions and you do get some paid sick pay (just schools don't let you know that), I get the above albeit not a lot.. when I am sick I get paid 85% of my salary for that day if I bring a doctors note as this 85% is given to the school form INPS. I am an Italian citizen by birth I don't know if it's different for non Italian citizens on this contract!

I'm not sure whether a non-Italian would get sick pay / holiday pay. As far as I know, what it replaced (the co,co,co) had these at the discretion of the employer. Who knows if this is still the case, so I erred on the side of caution. Don't expect anything until you ask / hassle for it!

Try not to get ill, Luke. But if you do, remember to take your temperature (yes, you'll have to buy a thermometer) and tell everyone you have a febbre of - um, what is it? 38 or 39 perhaps. Italians are on intimate terms with their temperatures, whereas we tend to use the back of our hands to discover if we feel hot or not...